Colusa County residents should rethink stocking up on water balloons before next summer’s parades.
Police and city officials heard numerous complaints after the Colusa County Fair Parade and Williams Pioneer Day Parade about water balloons being thrown or slung along the parade routes, which has reportedly gotten out of hand in recent years.
“I had lots of people complain about the water balloons and squirt guns and people getting wet,” said Fair Board Director Tony Garofalo. “All I can say is Lions Club…That is who I tell them to talk to. People get confused and think that is our event. It’s not.”
Various Colusa officials also received complaints this year, not just about unwilling participants getting soaked, but injuries to children, damage to electronics and other property, and litter left on sidewalks and streets for businesses to pick up. Parade participants and crowd members reported leaving the parades with welts and bruises from balloons.
“We may have to talk about it at some point,” Colusa Police Chief Josh Fitch told the City Council in June. “I’ve been getting a lot of mixed reviews about people getting wet; some people love it; some people don’t so much.”
Officials said what started out as harmless fun from a few squirt guns has turned into fierce water wars between parade participants and people on the sidelines.
Unlike many jurisdictions throughout the state, Colusa does not have a local ordinance banning parade participants from tossing candy, toys, or balloons. The State of California vehicle code only prohibits throwing objects at moving vehicles on state highways.
Williams Recreation Director Ben Padilla, who took over the long-running Williams Pioneer Day Parade in 2023, said Williams may also have to consider restrictions on water balloons, given the number of complaints this year.
According to the National Society to Prevent Blindness, water balloons thrown by adults can travel up to 92 miles per hour; water balloons launched from catapults and slingshots can travel 200 to 230 miles per hour, and are a major cause of children’s eye injuries.
The National Institute of Health said the most common eye injuries from water balloons include detached retinas, retinal edema, perforated corneas, fractures of the eye socket, and fractures of the bones around the eye.
The Colusa Lions Club is considering remedies such as providing candy to parade participants to throw instead of balloons.
Fitch said he would like the two entities to talk before the city takes action.
Some people have recommended establishing “wet zones” along the parade routes for people who want to be sprayed with water but not necessarily pelted with water balloons. ■